And this brings me nicely to Röyksöpp. An indie band from Norway. Nay, a chart-climbing indie band from Norway. They're good. Really good. Maybe there's some kind of secret Nordic code hidden in the tracks; a native memory of a sound just so, that happens to appeal to the Finn in me - who knows, I'm just babbling now - but some of the tracks are "little hairs at the back of your neck standing up" good. I'll have to throw the contrived snobbery out with the rubbish; this stuff is becoming popular, but I like it. Maybe the snobbery is more to do with my regard for the faceless general public: can it really tell mass-produced talentless hacks from true gems? Just a rhetorical question.
Röyksöpp could be described as dance, as pop, as indie, electro - again, no truly befitting category there. This, I find, is always a good sign.
In any case, I doubt we've heard the best of this Nordic ensemble yet. This is definitely a place for one of those proverbial watch this space signs.
Categorisation fails completely when talking about Lamb. Is it drum and bass? Is it pop? Is it dance? Who knows. It's like a warm pebble you happened to pick up from an otherwise bleak beach; it's nestled in your pocket and keeps you warm, all in secret. You smile to yourself because B-line is stuck in your head and most people associate mint sauce with Lamb, not this.
Fear of fours is the raw - and in my opinion most appealing - example of the Lamb-effect, but the 1996 eponimous debut was enough to get me hooked. If you like Portishead, Bjork, or, indeed, Röyksöpp, I recommend you give Lamb a whirl.
In fact, if any part of your being tickles with the tiniest part of curiosity, creativity and a sense of wonder, I could almost promise a pleasant ride out of any of the above.
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This is an extended and edited article, based on a post from "Tomorrow could be boring" by Nukapai (a Finn writing from UK).
Article comments
1 - Temple Stark
Crazy and funny post. I couldn't care less about the band - but early morning (OK, not early. Er, OK, not morning either as it turns out) weirdness was welcome.
- Tømplø
2 - Nukapai
Hi Tømplø! Thank you for the comment! Very glad to have been able to entertain in some small way. I hope one day you'll get to experience the "crazy" flavour of Ozrics. ;)
3 - alienboy
I don't like the Ozrics much but I do like your writing a lot, keep up the good work.
4 - Nukapai
Alienboy - thank you for the encouragement! I am very excited to be a part of this site and hope to contribute to the best of my ability. I also like the community aspect of this place, so it's double-encouraging to receive comments my my first post here. :)
5 - Al Barger
Welcome Nukapai. Glad to have you aboard here at Blogcritics. Gooble, gobble. Gooble, gobble. One of us!
Fine first column. Makes me real interested in hearing this Ozric Tentacles stuff, though I fear that it will not turn out to be as good as your writing about it.
6 - Nukapai
Thank you, Al - perhaps that proves my point about Ozrics being creative fuel? ;)
7 - Mary K. Williams
I read this post earlier today - but ran out of time to comment - never heard of this band. I went to the site to hear some, but everything loaded so sl--o---w----l-----y. (and I have broadband too!) So, I got impatient and gave up. LOL. I bet I'd probably like them, but I'll have to find another time to find out.
But it was a good post, and welcome to BC Nukapai
8 - Nukapai
Mary, thank you for the comment - and yes, the Ozrics need a new web designer. Someone should pimp themselves to them. :D
9 - Mark Sahm
"my synaesthesia is stronger than average"
I once heard 'Moby Dick' by John Bonham, and swore I could taste the bass kick. That was the day I stopped licking stamps too close to my subwoofer. ;)
Nice review though.
10 - Nukapai
Mark, that sounds more like blended senses through association, rather than syn (unless the bass kick tasted of something other than stamp adhesive!). In any case - enviable experience! :D
11 - Mark Sahm
I was just waxing, you're probably right. However, if a person's creative imagination (or psychosis, however you'd like to see it) is expansive enough, then such phenomena is merely a thought away. It's all in what you tell yourself.
However, this may not apply if I am told by a BC commenter that one of my posts stink. :)
12 - Mark Sahm
P.S. I'm sure Bonham's bass drum was not a tasty item. He probably spilled beer on it a lot, I'd imagine.
13 - Nukapai
Psychosis? There's no psychosis here. No, those aren't voices in my head, nuh-uh!
:p
Well, I don't know - synaesthesia isn't crazy per se, but it could certainly spice up a juicy psychosis. Maybe crazy tastes like bass?
Oh dear. I'm taking this to outer space. :D